Prelude To A Dream
by Colt Stone
Summary: After Mal's suicide and his subsequent exile from his children, Cobb contemplates what he will do next and what he has already done. I wrote this little story for a sociology class back in my freshman year in college and I thought I would share it with everyone. Let me know what you think.


_"Cobb we gotta go now": five words that changed everything. One moment happiness was upon me and now this._

Dominic Cobb leaned back in his seat on an American Airlines charter to Paris. Although it had already been a few days since Mal had committed suicide and the police linked her death to him, the fact that he was never going to see his children again stung deeper than the sharpest poison-laced spear. Mal was insane and yet she had three different psychologists testify otherwise. This combined with the various threats she reported to have received from him made sure he could never come back home.

 _"You're waiting for a train, a train that will take you far away. You know where you hope this train will take you, but you don't know for sure. But it doesn't matter. How can it not matter to you where that train will take you?"_ Mal's words seeped through the cracks in his skull and into his tormented mind. Why? Why would she do this? The answer was simple: she believed she still dreaming and that this was the only way to leave. Now the question was why did he do it. He felt he was justified as the dreaming became a drug. They could not live without this mystical place that no one could ever know except them: their dream. But like every drug there was a potential for lethal overdose and consequences. Mal stopped distinguishing reality from the dream. After she tried to convince him to commit suicide with her, he knew he had to do something. It was simple enough and it worked. Sadly, it had worked all too well.

Suddenly, a voice with a thick Parisian accent came over the speakers: "Ladies and Gentlemen we will soon be landing in Paris at 14:30 local time. Please be ready to depart". Cobb pulled out his cell phone. Not much time before all electronic devices were to be turned off. He dialed the first number on his phone.

A sleepy but ever elegant Arthur picked up: "Hello?". "Arthur?" "Cobb? I thought you would be somewhere else by now. I heard the news. My condolences."

"Thanks. Listen I'm looking for some work. Know anybody willing to hire an architect?" "Legitimately no. Off the books I might have heard a few names"

"Fine whatever pays. Can I meet you soon?"

"Yea. Call me when you get to the airport. When's your flight land?"

"14:30 local time. How's the old man?"

"Last time I saw him he was still in his lecture hall"

"Alright I gotta go, see you later Arthur" "See you". After hearing the click to signal the end of the call, Cobb turned off his cell phone and leaned back. Who would have thought a skilled architect would have to become a thief? This made him want to weep but he resisted the temptation. It was no good crying; he was still gonna wake up without his children or his life. The thought that he had once constructed dreams or shared them with his most dearest was know almost depressing. He was now going to steal them. It was almost like a sick irony in the twisted scheme of life. Whatever happened he knew that he would almost certainly never see his children and his home again.

When he arrived, he called Arthur who picked him up about thirty minutes later. Arthur had not changed much: still elegant and handsome as ever. After greeting each other, Arthur explained the game and how they were going to play it. It turned out the corporate espionage was still a very viable business and a number of corporations wanted to capitalize on this new phenomenon. "Here is a list of some clients" Arthur said as he passed the file over to Dom. He knew the names but he did not know that these people would go this far in order to ensure they made a profit. "Where do we start?" he asked. "There are a few small jobs I want to take on just so we know we can do it but Cobol Engineering is willing to pay quite a hefty price for our services" replied Arthur.


End file.
